Editorial Note: This was originally posted in 2022. As of 2026, many of our clients are charging at least $199/month with a $299 down payment for new students in beginner programs.
Are the other studios in your area keeping their tuition rates too low and preventing you from raising yours to where they should be?
We're seeing it more and more over the last two years. Studio owners are prevented from raising their tuition rates because the other studios in the area charge so little. That means that they have to attract MORE students than they should have to just to get the bills paid.
In order to attract these additional students studios have to do more advertising, and advertising COSTS MONEY and TAKES TIME. Extra money and time are hard to come by in this industry. It's STRESSFUL, and it's hard to break this cycle.
But there's good news. There is a way out!
LaShonda, one of our clients, just sent me an email letting me know that she's raised her tuition to $159 per month for new students. That's after a $199 down payment on the total cost of her 12 month program, and most of these students are coming in on a trial that costs $29 (just to try out the class).
If you're doing the math, that means that a new student is worth $2,107 in tuition just in the first year alone!
If you can't stand out, you can't charge a premium
Now we're going to get to work to get her 50 new students this year which will add an ADDITIONAL $100,000 to her income JUST THIS YEAR. And shes' going to make it!
I'm so proud of her. I know how scary it can be to raise your tuition in a market that is as competitive as hers is.
But she's got some secret weapons that allow her to accomplish what she's doing.
First, she has been able to identify the real VALUE of what she's offering. And guess what. . . it's not just dance lessons. As she crafts her marketing and messaging around what people are GETTING OUT OF WHAT SHE OFFERS and not just WHAT SHE OFFERS. There is an important distinction here that most studio owners miss. Here is another way of saying it:
"You do not sell the features of your service you sell the benefits."
Anyone that misses this important lesson is left charging what everyone else around them is charging. The success of their business is literally tied to what their competition decides to do. That's a horrible place to be.
If you can't stand out you can't charge a premium.
Second, LaShonda is now building a marketing funnel for her studio that will ensure a constant stream of new prospects in the door ALL YEAR LONG.
When you have that you GET TO CHOOSE WHO YOU WORK WITH. You do not have to work with 100% of the people that walk through your door. As a matter of fact, she'll only work with about 80% of them. That means that the people that do enroll actually VALUE what she has to offer, and see it as a priority! That's an amazing place to be!
What could you be charging for your classes if you KNEW that the students walking through your door were willing and able to pay a premium? AND that they saw you as the ONLY option?
If you'd like to learn how our clients are achieving such amazing results, I'd love to show you.
Click the link below and let me know a little bit about your studio. Then, we can book a call and talk about whether or not working together would be a good idea.